AHS Views

We hear about issues stemming from substance abuse frequently in the US. From drunk driving and drug-related traffic stops to prescription and illegal drug abuse. These problems affect every state in this country and all walks of life.

I came across an interesting read recently, which was about a study done by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on how substance abuse is affecting the workplace. A lot of people equate substance abuse with lower economic areas, homelessness, you name it. But, that’s actually not the majority. Did you know that 77% of illegal drug users are employed full or part-time here in the US?

That means that more than three quarters of the illegal drug using population are mixed in with the working population. What’s more is that substance abuse costs American businesses upwards of 81 billion dollars a year in lost production, work absences as well as accidents. Speaking of absences, about 500 million workdays per year are lost due to substance abuse by employees.

This is a no win situation for either side of the coin. Both the employee and the employer suffer as a result of substance abuse. Employers experience productivity downtrends, suffer because of absenteeism, accident claims and quite possibly the difficulties of dealing with employees who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Then there are the issues that come into play for an addict, i.e. their health, relationships with family and friends, job loss and income reduction and possibly overdose and/or death.

Have you ever known of or worked with someone who was under the influence of an illegal drug or alcohol on while on the job? Apparently, according to the study, more than 60% of adults do currently or have in the past. Why is the statistic for substance abuse in the workplace so high then? Are the abusers not being reported? Probably not. The reasons for this could be fear of retribution by the addict, not wanting to get their co-worker in trouble or that they don’t want to get involved.

Substance abuse is an epidemic in our country. Not just by the homeless man on the corner asking for money to buy who-knows-what, but possibly by your coworker. If we are ever going to get a handle on this debilitating, expensive, pervasive crisis, we’re going to have to actually speak up and do something about it. Get those people into drug rehab or alcohol treatment. Each one of us can do our part to get them addiction help!

I came across a headline today that I thought must have been a joke. When I read further into the article, I realized that it’s not, and am absolutely shocked! Russia is experiencing a heatwave and vodka-swigging, drunken people are trying to swim to cool off, and drowning.

I actually was in such disbelief that I Googled the story to find out if anyone else had written about the terrible events that have taken place. Sure enough, there were several other articles written, that I was able to easily find online. The death toll so far has surpassed 1200 people since June. And, in one day, there were 49 drowning deaths in Russia from drunken swimming.

The most heartbreaking part of this news story was to find out that children are also drowning because their parents are too drunk to notice them. If you can believe this, last week there were five children who drowned at camp because their counselors were too drunk to pay attention!

A lot of people like to take some drinks with them to the beach. It’s certainly quite common in many parts of the world. But this has proven that it can be quite dangerous, if people are being reckless and irresponsible with the amounts that they’re consuming. This would fall into the category of binge drinking, basically drinking large amounts of alcohol quickly to get drunk. Swigging massive quantities of vodka before taking a swim is not the best idea and you’d think that people would have caught onto this by now!

A state of emergency has been declared in Russia because of the death toll. Unfortunately, this is a long standing issue there, alcohol abuse needs addiction treatment. It’s time to really take a look at this crisis and help Russians with their blatantly obvious problems with alcohol addiction. Alcohol rehab programs are desperately needed and fast! It may be a good idea to restrict alcohol from the public beaches too. I’m sure it would help save many lives.

Now that the summer is upon us, it’s time for parties and vacations. Often times, at the bbq or family reunion, there will be alcoholic beverages present. And frequently there will be that family member who drinks a few too many of those beverages. Or, perhaps you are the one who’s tipping the bottle a bit too much and maybe your kids are around, hearing you slur your words and get pretty silly.

When it comes to alcohol, and drugs for that matter, children are experimenting with these substances at alarmingly young ages. In a recent study that looked at adolescent drug and alcohol use, there were some interesting correlations between substance abuse and family upbringing.

The study showed that kids who have ‘indulgent’ parents were much more likely to drink heavily. Not shocking… But, what was interesting was that parents who aren’t openly heavy drinkers, but aren’t warm and involved in their kids’ lives, or are strict and a bit cold, also still had higher chances of getting involved in the drinking scene.

The best scenario in a family unit, are parents who are warm, involved in their children’s lives and openly communicative as well as not being big on drinking.

So, as the summer progresses, and the plans for partying with the family are made, let’s all keep this in mind. Let’s lead by example and be warm and loving parents to our kids. It will make a big difference in the long run for the health and well being of our children. And, perhaps help to avoid alcohol addiction treatment in their futures!

Once again, Lindsay Lohan has made the news. Today, it was reported that she missed a court date by arriving ninety minutes late. Then apparently, she was seen out shopping. Does she not think that the law applies to her? Does she not think there is a problem here? It would appear the answer to both of those questions is no, she doesn’t.

Lindsay was supposed to appear in court because of a lawsuit that was filed against her 2008, by three men, for endangering their lives. She was reported to have held them hostage in her vehicle while driving drunk. She probably thought it was fun at the time, but it obviously wasn’t good times for her passengers.

Stories have been surfacing for years about Lindsay, going in an out of treatment centers, having quarrels with her father for being too loose lipped with the press, having drunk driving episodes, photos of her so drunk she can barely stand up, having prescription drug addiction problems, etc. She’s got some issues, and I don’t think anyone could argue that point. It’s also quite apparent that the steps that she’s gone through over that period of time have not helped her.

When a young person is getting in trouble with the law for alcohol and prescription drug abuse, there’s a problem that really needs to be properly addressed. She needs help. Drug and alcohol rehab help, to be exact.

I would venture to guess that she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with her actions or behavior. One of these days, it will catch up with her though, and when it does, I hope for her sake that she decides to go to a treatment center on her own volition to conquer the addictions that she is battling. If not, she’ll wind up in prison, or worse, dead. She’s a very bright and beautiful, young star, it is my hope that she realizes this and gets the help she so desperately needs.

Are you looking for addiction help but can’t afford it? There are plenty of insurance companies that cover alcohol and drug rehab. You might even have one of these plans but are unaware that they could help you get treatment for yourself or a family member.

Here’s a list of possible plans: Aetna, Anheuser-Busch, APS Healthcare, Blue Cross, Cigna, Compsych, Corphealth (Lifesynch),  Connecticut General, Managed Health Network, Multiplan, Pacific Behavioral Health, United Behavioral Health, Value Options, Fedmed, Managed Care Systems, and American Mental Health Network.

This list is by no means complete but, if you do need addiction help services, and are on one of these plans, you’re in luck. If you have a different plan, check to see if you’re covered.

I read a news item about Baron Geisler, an actor in the Phillipines, who’s going to get addiction help for alcohol. The story says he lost an acting job because he showed up on the set with a few drinks under his belt. It also said he has a history of drunken brawls but, since his mother sent him to alcohol rehab, he’s ‘no longer like that’. He ’slipped’ because his girlfriend left him. He said ‘never meant to hurt anyone or show any disrespect’.

But out of the blue (in his statement about the recent incident) he also denies his involvement in the shooting of a co-worker he’d recently nearly come to blows with - provoked when Baron insulted the other guy’s girlfriend - and he’s up on sexual harrassment charges filed by his roommate’s daughter.

So, in fact, he is still ‘like that.’

He says he’s just ‘very emotional.’  Sounds innocent enough, but it’s obvious that he’s causing his own problems. And until he stops doing that, it’s going to be virtually impossible for him to stay sober.

If he wants a girlfriend who will not get him ‘very emotional’ by leaving him, he’s going to have to stop doing things that result in sexual harrassment charges from other women, refrain from insulting people to the point of them wanting to beat him up,  and get himself into a position where he doesn’t have to deny his involvement in a shooting.

Maybe then his girlfriends will stay with him and he won’t therefore feel compelled to drink.

A facility that offers full addiction help services would have to help him handle those aspects of his personality.  That’s real rehabilitation.  If you’re looking for a facility that will do that, give us a call.

When a person has a problem with drugs or alcohol they’re sometimes not motivated to do anything about it. Despite the fact that they may be temporarily numbed to the issues that drove them to addiction in the first place, those issues are still there. They couldn’t cope with them before, so what reason do they have to think they can cope with them now? That’s why people need someone else to take the reins and get them addiction help.

Once they’re there, get off the drugs or stop drinking for a while, they can get into actual alcohol or drug rehab then they’ll start to change their mind. That is - if they get into a program that will find and directly address the things the person was having trouble with and help them figure out how to live happily.

But until they get into addressing those problems, they may not have enough motivation to find addiction help on their own.

Sometimes a disastrous occurence in life is enough to spur them on. People have been known to just quit, cold turkey, when the motivation is high enough. But that’s pretty unusual - they may want to quit but when they start going through withdrawal, the pain or discomfort pushes them in the other direction. And getting off some drugs, and even alcohol, can be pretty painful.

At Alternative Choices, the drug rehab program run by the drug court in Tooele County, Utah, there stands a suit of armor at the entry way. The message? “Prepare for Battle” The people doing this program have motivation - rehab or prison. And the program works well - 85% of those who start actually hang in there and graduate.

Your son, daughter, spouse, family member or friend, hopefully, will not need the threat of prison to get help, but expecting them to do it on their own is like expecting someone with the flu - fever, chills, aches and pains all over the place and exhausted - to run a marathon.

They need you to do the running for them until they’re up to it. At Addiction Help Services we can help you find the help, and strength, you need.

The holiday season is, among other, but good, things, a time to watch our friends and relatives who need alcohol addiction help knock over our Christmas tree, ruin our freshly cleaned carpet with egg nog and gravy spills, get fresh with our young nieces, get maudlin over the past and generally embarrass the rest of the family and make us uncomfortable.

It is also the season for alcohol-related deaths, accidents and arrests - and one of them could involve than annoying family member that you’re politely putting up with.

Most of us won’t say a word - not while we have company. And very few of us would ever consider taking the offender to a center where they can get addiction help. After all, it’s Christmas. Everything’s supposed to be peaceful, loving and beautiful. This is the time we forgive each other - or at least pretend to - and we leave the problem as it is, vowing that we’ll do something about it in the new year. But, usually, we don’t.

Does this seem somewhat misguided? Are we really doing that person a favor by letting them continue on their path of destruction? Are we really helping them, or their family or friends, by letting them ruin the holiday?

Wouldn’t it be more pleasant all around if the alcoholic was celebrating Christmas by getting clean and sober? By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, the person would be through the detox end of things and actually looking at the world through less of a haze and able to make some New Year’s resolutions with teeth.

But people feel bad - as if they’re doing the person a disservice, somehow spoiling their fun - if they pack them off to rehab during the holidays. Geez, that’s the best Christmas present you could give them.

Find a nice addiction help services center with a good environment. Visit them, bring the family, bring them presents and turkey, and know you gave them the best present of all - a chance to get their life back.

According to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), about 5 million people in the U.S. are currently attending alcohol and drug addiction self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and so on. About 45% of the participants said they had been clean for the month prior to the study, and about 33% said they’d attended a drug rehab facility of some sort prior to going to the self-help groups.

I would think that those who attended the alcohol or drug rehab facility first would be more likely to also be the people who are staying clean.

There are several advantages to getting addiction help services in a residential treatment center before attending this type of meeting.

A good center helps you get through withdrawal and would also include some kind of nutritional and exercise program that would start to repair some of the physical damage.

It would also offer counselling as to why you got into drinking and taking drugs in the first place, and a program that would help you change the aspects of your life that need changing so you’re not tempted to get back into it.

The next step is always support of some sort when you leave. Especially if you’re going back into an environment where people drink and take drugs - you’ve got to find some people who don’t. That’s where AA, NA and similar groups come in.

Addiction Help Services can help you find a drug rehab facility or other treatment center that’s suitable for your needs, as well as a support group to help you afterwards.

A new study shows that alcohol shrinks the brain. Millions of people need drug and alcohol addiction help, and we’re spending millions finding out this useless information.

Why do we need it? We already know that just one drink can impair abstract thinking for a month, we already know it causes a gradual deterioration of the body and people die before their time, we already know it’s involved in most domestic violence incidents, we already know it’s ruins families, lives, careers. Shouldn’t we be spending our money making sure people get the addiction help services they need?